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Friday, March 7, 1986 Vol. 46 No.37 v 1 - f s J-4 . 4 y 5V. ..''i t . -- Signpou phoioStou Miller Making a splash The recent warm weather and sunny skies have brought out the and Michelle Ovard take advantage of the weather to practice their kicks playfulness in many WSC students. (L-R) Lanette Toone, Julie Richins for the upcoming swimming season. Harris computer system not utilized fully Editor's Note: This is the final story in a series examining the Harris computer system at WSC. This article will feature disagreements on campus concerning the Harris. by Rae Dawn Olbert Editor-in-Chief Faculty and staff in the computer services department at WSC disagree with statements concerning the inadequacies of the Harris computer. Faculty in the computer sciences and business departments have tagged the Harris inefficient. They maintain that the response time on the system is extremely slow on occasion, with the user waiting as long as two minutes for a response sometimes. Other problems cited by department members include lack of statistical programs and an inadequate number of terminals for student use. They also feel that as the Harris is not an industry standard it hurts job opportunities as well as a student's learning abilities while using the Harris. Sam West of computing services at WSC feels that "some of the remarks leveled . . . were unjustified." West said although the system can't do everything, it's not being used to its full potential.Having attended UNLV where the Harris system is also utilized, West compared the functions of the two schools' computer systems. He said UNLV has developed programs in which the computer simulates the language of other computer systems, such as IBM, and the - student is essentially working on an IBM machine. He feels that if WSC utilized a VAX system to tap into other schools' computers, a lot of horsepower would be spent in this endeavor, thereby limiting school and student usage of the computer. This would be defeating the purpose, he said. He also said a study at UNLV showed that the response time on the Harris is at least equal to or better than other computer systems, especially with a heavy user load. Dr. James Minor of computer services teaches courses in computer sciences. He said there is plenty of software available for the Harris computer the latest, updated versions. "There are quite a few packages available," he said, and the number has "increased significantly" in the past three years. He named various statistical programs available as well as economic and data base software. The problems could occur, he said, because individual departments must purchase the packages out of their budgets, which are being squeezed tightly at this time. Dr. Eric Jacobsen, assistant director of computing services, said "It would be a big mistake ... to throw out what we have (the Harris) and start again from scratch." Dr. Jacobsen said the best thing to do is use the Harris to the hilt for the things it can do, and use other machines for any additional work. School days spill over to weekend by Pam Bassett Staff Reporter Beginning autumn quarter 1986, Weber State College will offer classes on Saturdays. This new program is under the direction of the Department of Continuing Education. "The purpose," said Dr. Emil O. Hanson, assistant vice president for academic services, "is to better serve the academic needs of the non-traditional student." He explained that in the past, WSC has concentrated on meeting the academic needs of the traditional high school graduates from the surrounding communities. A year ago, the administration was concerned with decreased enrollment. It was projected that there would be fewer high school graduates in the 1984-89 period throughout the state. The suggestion to offer classes on Saturday evolved from a dean's council meeting in spring of 1985. "The evening school was criticized because there were a lot of students complaining that they could no longer get a degree from going to evening school. There was not a coordinated program where courses were designed to take a person through to graduation," said Dr. Hanson. In the meeting, Dr. Candadai Seshachari, chair of the English department, suggested a block of time in which three or four classes would be taught in sequence on the same day. It was suggested that the classes satisfy the general education requirements. The idea was to tie the classes in with a degree program such as the BIS (Bachelor of Integrated Studies). According to Dr. Hanson, the decision reached in the council meeting was to "offer seven or eight classes and make it open-ended. As many students as registered for the classes will determine which ones will be taught. The ones (classes) that are popular will go." There will be a trial basis for the first quarter in autumn of 1986. The council "went from the concept of converging to a certain program (BIS) to diverging, opening up to as many students who would like the classes," said Dr. Hanson. After the students are in the classrooms, continuing education will survey them to find what the majority wants in the program. Dr. Hanson said if the majority of students want a BIS program with three special emphases, then they will be asked to decide on the three most preferred courses. But if the students also want a preferred major, then it would be taught in addition to the BIS program. Mr. Chris Rivera, director of continuing education, will be directly responsible for the coordination of the Saturday fsee SATURDAY on page 3)

Public Domain. Courtesy of University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University.

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Friday, March 7, 1986 Vol. 46 No.37 v 1 - f s J-4 . 4 y 5V. ..''i t . -- Signpou phoioStou Miller Making a splash The recent warm weather and sunny skies have brought out the and Michelle Ovard take advantage of the weather to practice their kicks playfulness in many WSC students. (L-R) Lanette Toone, Julie Richins for the upcoming swimming season. Harris computer system not utilized fully Editor's Note: This is the final story in a series examining the Harris computer system at WSC. This article will feature disagreements on campus concerning the Harris. by Rae Dawn Olbert Editor-in-Chief Faculty and staff in the computer services department at WSC disagree with statements concerning the inadequacies of the Harris computer. Faculty in the computer sciences and business departments have tagged the Harris inefficient. They maintain that the response time on the system is extremely slow on occasion, with the user waiting as long as two minutes for a response sometimes. Other problems cited by department members include lack of statistical programs and an inadequate number of terminals for student use. They also feel that as the Harris is not an industry standard it hurts job opportunities as well as a student's learning abilities while using the Harris. Sam West of computing services at WSC feels that "some of the remarks leveled . . . were unjustified." West said although the system can't do everything, it's not being used to its full potential.Having attended UNLV where the Harris system is also utilized, West compared the functions of the two schools' computer systems. He said UNLV has developed programs in which the computer simulates the language of other computer systems, such as IBM, and the - student is essentially working on an IBM machine. He feels that if WSC utilized a VAX system to tap into other schools' computers, a lot of horsepower would be spent in this endeavor, thereby limiting school and student usage of the computer. This would be defeating the purpose, he said. He also said a study at UNLV showed that the response time on the Harris is at least equal to or better than other computer systems, especially with a heavy user load. Dr. James Minor of computer services teaches courses in computer sciences. He said there is plenty of software available for the Harris computer the latest, updated versions. "There are quite a few packages available," he said, and the number has "increased significantly" in the past three years. He named various statistical programs available as well as economic and data base software. The problems could occur, he said, because individual departments must purchase the packages out of their budgets, which are being squeezed tightly at this time. Dr. Eric Jacobsen, assistant director of computing services, said "It would be a big mistake ... to throw out what we have (the Harris) and start again from scratch." Dr. Jacobsen said the best thing to do is use the Harris to the hilt for the things it can do, and use other machines for any additional work. School days spill over to weekend by Pam Bassett Staff Reporter Beginning autumn quarter 1986, Weber State College will offer classes on Saturdays. This new program is under the direction of the Department of Continuing Education. "The purpose," said Dr. Emil O. Hanson, assistant vice president for academic services, "is to better serve the academic needs of the non-traditional student." He explained that in the past, WSC has concentrated on meeting the academic needs of the traditional high school graduates from the surrounding communities. A year ago, the administration was concerned with decreased enrollment. It was projected that there would be fewer high school graduates in the 1984-89 period throughout the state. The suggestion to offer classes on Saturday evolved from a dean's council meeting in spring of 1985. "The evening school was criticized because there were a lot of students complaining that they could no longer get a degree from going to evening school. There was not a coordinated program where courses were designed to take a person through to graduation," said Dr. Hanson. In the meeting, Dr. Candadai Seshachari, chair of the English department, suggested a block of time in which three or four classes would be taught in sequence on the same day. It was suggested that the classes satisfy the general education requirements. The idea was to tie the classes in with a degree program such as the BIS (Bachelor of Integrated Studies). According to Dr. Hanson, the decision reached in the council meeting was to "offer seven or eight classes and make it open-ended. As many students as registered for the classes will determine which ones will be taught. The ones (classes) that are popular will go." There will be a trial basis for the first quarter in autumn of 1986. The council "went from the concept of converging to a certain program (BIS) to diverging, opening up to as many students who would like the classes," said Dr. Hanson. After the students are in the classrooms, continuing education will survey them to find what the majority wants in the program. Dr. Hanson said if the majority of students want a BIS program with three special emphases, then they will be asked to decide on the three most preferred courses. But if the students also want a preferred major, then it would be taught in addition to the BIS program. Mr. Chris Rivera, director of continuing education, will be directly responsible for the coordination of the Saturday fsee SATURDAY on page 3)